Typographical machine



H. BODDIKER.

TYPOGRAPHlCAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED nov. 21. 19:1.

1 3 1 5,277 Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

WWWWHWM 13 INVENTOR.

11m COLUMBIA PI-ANOGRAPII c0, WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED sTATns rg nnT orrron.

HENRY BODDIKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-N'OB TO MEEGENTHALER LINQTYPE CGMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bonnrnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in lthe .countyof Cook and "State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typographical Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention has reference to linotype machines of the general organization represented in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 436,532 to O. Mergenthaler, wherein circulating matrices are released from a channeled magazine in the order in which their-characters areto appear in print, and then assembled in line, together with expanding spacers, the composed line transferred to the face .of a mold, the mold filled with molten metal to term a slug or linotype against the matrices which produce the type characters thereon, and the matrices thereafter elevated and returned through a dis tributing mechanism to the magazine from which they started. More particularly the invention relates to the escapenients and their operatingdevices, whichare employed in such unachinesito control the discharge of the matrices from the magazine channels. These .escapements are commonly operated by power actuated devices initiated in their operation by the n'ianipulation of the key levers of the keyboard, the motion of the power devices being transmitted to the es capements through the medium of actuating reeds.

It may sometimes happen, in the opera tion of the machine, that the movement of anlescapement will be resisted by a matrix lodging in improper position inthe magazine, or by other abnormal conditions, and in such event, it is desirable that the parts may yield so as to prevent their breakage or undue strain thereon. To meet this condition. various expedients have been re sorted to, characterized by the yielding mounting of some one of the elements in the connections between the key lever and the escapements, springs of different forms and differently applied being employed to hold the parts so that they will normally perform their functions and yet allow them to yield in the event of undue resistance. Certain objections have been developed in the useiof these expedients, mainly on account of the inaccessibility of the springs and the more or less complicated arrange ment of the parts. My invention aims to snnpliiy the construction and to so arrange the parts that the springs will be readily accessible for inspection, repairs or replacement.

The invention is shown embodied in a form of .escapement actuating mechanism in which the escapements are operated by a series of actuating levers which overlie the upper ends of the reeds, which lovers are pivotally mounted at their lower ends and are rocked about the pivots by the reciprocation of the reeds and act at their upper ends on the escapement mechanisms,

and the invention consists in sustaining the pivotal end of the lever so that in the event of resistance being oiferedto the movement of its free end, it will yieldat its point of pivotal support, and in combining with the lever thus sustained,.aspring bearing thereon, and normally holding it against yielding movement, but adapted, under abnormal conditions and when resistance is offered, to yield and permit the lever to shift on its pivot and thereby prevent strain or injury to the operating parts, the said sprin 's for the several levers being so disposed that they will be ready of access for repairs, replacement, etc.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through the lower discharge end of the magazine, showing one of the escapements, the actuating lever therefor, and the operat ing connections to thekeyboard.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with certain parts omitted and showing how the actuating lever yields when resistance is offered to its normal operation by the lodgment of a matrix in improper position.

Fig.3 is a rear sectionalclevation on the line 3-3of Fig. .1, showing a number of the yielding actuating levers and the springs acting thereon.

Referring to the drawing:

1 designates the lower discharge end of a magazine of a linotype machine contain ing channels 2 (one only being shown), in whichmatrices 3 are stored and fromwhich they are discharged by escapements 4 into an assembler entrance 5, for composition inthe line, itbeing understood that there are a number of magazine channels arranged side by side to accommodate matrices bean ing different characters, and one eseapelnent for each channel, all as usual in linotype machines of the Mergenthaler type.

The escapement in the present instance consists of a pivoted escapement lever (3 carrying tWo pawls or dogs which are projected alternately into the magazine, and which, cooperating with the ears on the matrices, control the passing matrices and effect their delivery in succession from the magazine channel. Each escapement lever is acted on by a spring 7 attached to the frame of the machine and tending to reverse the position of the lever and project one of the pawls into the magazine. Each escapement lever is also acted on directly by a plunger 8 guided in the machine frame, with its outer end exposed, and these several plungers are acted on by actuating levers 9 which are arranged side by side and extend rearwardly and downwardly in an inclined position beneath the magazine and above a series of vertical actuating reeds 10 (one only being shown) by which the levers are operated. The levers 9 are pivotally sustained at their lower ends and are engaged on their under sides by the upper ends of the reeds, the lower ends of which are disposed over the usual cam yokes 11, each of which carries a rotary operating cam 11 which is adapted, when the yoke is tripped by the actuation of a key lever 13 of the keyboard, to engage a constantly operating power driven roller 14, and be rotated thereby and thereby reciprocate the reed vertically.

The foregoing parts may be of the usual and ordinary construction and they constitute a key-controlled power operated mechanism for the escapements, characteristic of the Mergenthaler machine, and in themselves form no part of the present invention.

In applying my invention I so mount the lower ends of the escapement actuating levers 9, that while they will be pivotally supported to adapt them to beswung back and forth at their upper ends by the reeds and thus operate the escapements, they will at the same time be capable of yielding bodily at their lower pivotal ends in the event of obstruction or resistance being offered to their normal movement, as for instance by the lodgment of a matrix in a position obstructing the action of the escapements; whereby injury or strain on the parts will be prevented.

This I accomplish by forming each lever in its lower end with an open slot or recess 15, which slots of the several levers are engaged over a horizontal pivot rod 16 fixed between upstanding ears 17 on the machine frame, the form and disposition of the slots being such that the lever may shift slightly on the pivotal rod upwardly and rearwardly. Each lever 9 is acted on by a spring finger 18, which springs are sustained at their lower ends by the machine frame and extend upwardly and forwardly and have their upper free ends bearing with yielding pressure on the upper edges of the actuating levers at points substantially directly over the pivot rod and in line with the slots therein. These spring fingers in the present instance consist each of a section of spring wire formed near its lower end with a spring coil 18, terminating in a portion 18 which is seated loosely in corre sponding holes or openings in a horizontal sustaining bar 18 on the machine frame. The coiled springs are held in place upon the sustaining bar by means of an angle plate 20, the horizontal portion of which is secured to the bar by screws 20 and the vertical portion of which extends upwardly bohind the coils 1S and thus confines the portions 18 to their seats. The sustaining bar 18 is itself detachably connected to the ma chine frame by means of screws or other fastening devices 19. As a result of this arrangement, the springs may he applied to or removed from the machine frame as a unit, this being permitted by the free engagement of the portions 18 with the escapement levers 9, which engagement is made and broken as the frame is applied and removed respectively. In addition, by removing the plate 20 any selected one of the spring sea-.- tions may be readily removed independently of the others and replaced by another, and this whether the sustaining bar be connected to or disconnected from the machine frame. Furthermore, the flexible nature of the springs permits the ready and independent removal and replacement of any one of the escapement levers 9, it merely being necessary to displace the portion 18 of the corresponding spring laterally to disengage it from the escapement lever.

The springs thus not to hold the slotted ends of the actuating levers down on the rod, so that these ends will pivot thereon as the lovers are swung up and down by the reeds in the normal operation of the escapements, as shown in Fig. 1, while at the same time the springs will allow the slotted ends of the levers to yield or shift outwardly from the pivot rod relative to the normal axis under abnormal conditions as shown in Fig. 2.

In the operation of the mechanism the vertical reeds, reciprocated by the power netuated devices brought into operation by the manipulation of the key levers, will swing the actuating levers on their pivotal axes and their upper ends engaging the escapement plungers 8, will thus operate the escapements, the lower slotted ends of the actuating levers being held down yieldingly on ema /r the pivot rod by the spring fingers as shown in Fig. 1. In the event, however, of resistance or obstruction being offered to the movement of the lever, such as would be caused for instance by the lodgment of a matrix in an improper position With its shoulder in the path of movement of the escapement pawl, the vertical movement of the reed will force the lower slotted end of fact that the spring fingers bear on the actuating levers at or adjacent their points of pivotal support on the pivot rod, and substantially in line with the open slots in the levers, the springs will oiler little or no resistance to the normal operation of the levers in their pivotal motion, the function oi the springs being to exert sufficient pressureon the levers to hold them down on the pivot rod without offering any substantial resistance to the normal movements of the levers, While at the same time they will permit the levers to yield or shift at their pivotal ends under abnormal conditions, as when undue strain offered to their movement.

Furthermore it will be observed that by the arrangement of the springs in the particular manner shown, they are exposed and will therefore be easy of access for inspection, repairs or replacement. In the event of breakage or injury to them, they may be readily removed independently of each other, and replaced or repairs made, inasmuch as they are not arranged behind or between parts difficult of access.

The particular form of the springs produces a simple and inexpensive construction, which operates with effectiveness, and by reason of the disposition and arrangement oi the springsthe parts may be readily assembled and disassembled.

In the foregoing description and accompanying drawing I have set forth my invention in the particular form and detailed construction which I prefer to adopt, but it will be understood that the details may be modified and changed Without departing from the limits of my invention, provided the operation is substantially as indicated above, and further it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of the parts except in so far as such limitations are set forth in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, its construction and mode of operatic-n, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a typographical machine, the combination with an escapement operating mechanism including a series of pivoted members formed with open slots to engage the pivot so as to yield in the event of undue resistance to their movement, of a corresponding series of springs having free ends arranged in engagement With or bearing upon the pivoted members adjacent their pivot to hold them normally in operative relation thereto, and a supporting bar wherein the opposite ends of the springs are seated, said supporting bar being detachably connected to the machine fame so as to enable the springs as a unit to be applied to or removed from the machine, and the springs being arranged in said supporting bar so as to be engaged with and disengaged from the pivoted members as the supporting bar is applied to and removed from the ma chine.

A combination as specified in claim 1, characterized by the factthat the springs are detachably connected to the sustaining bar so as to be insertible therein or removable therefrom individually and independcntly of each other.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the sustainingbar is formed with a series of openings wherein the confined ends of the springs are loosely engaged and further is provided with a retaining plate which is detachably secured thereto so as to be removable to permit the insertion or removal of the springs.

1. r combination as specified in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the springs therein recited are in the form of coiled wire sections.

5. A combination as specified in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the springs therein recited are yieldable laterally to permit their free ends to be disengaged from the pivoted members mentioned so as to permit their ready removal and replacement.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature hereto.

HENRY BO-DDIKER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

